With Greta Thunberg’s impassioned speech at the Climate Action Summit 2019 still resonating, Britain heeds the call to save the earth and fast forwards the banning of gas boilers in new homes that are to be built in the new year, five years ahead of its original schedule.
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) reported earlier this year that no new houses should be connected to the gas pipeline from 2025 at the latest, warning that Britain’s homes are not suited for the future.
Chair of the CCC’s adaptation subcommittee, Baroness Brown said that in the almost 30 million homes in the country, “most of them are not in a condition to keep us comfortable and productive.” And that these same houses “are a huge part of the problem - energy use in our homes is around a fifth of greenhouse gases, and the biggest part of those emissions are from burning gas for heating and hot water.” Thus, the Government’s decision to speed up the plan to cut the carbon footprint of up and coming new homes.
Also, part of Britain’s green measures, the package includes the country’s automotive industry’s £1billion investment in electric and hydrogen powered vehicles, £220million to develop a nuclear fusion power station, and the creation of more green spaces.
Experts, however, caution that the move to shift new homes to low-carbon energy sources could raise the prices of property for up to £5,000 and more to properly insulate the house to prevent heat loss.
Going back to the CCC’s report, however, where it says that “Closing the “performance gap” between design standards and what is achieved could save those in new homes between £70 and £260 a year on their energy bills.”
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick will propose to begin the phasing of the new rules in the coming year and reduce carbon emissions down to a third, preferably.
Also, new measures will be undertaken to stop property developers from filing their planning applications early to beat the new rules.
Still from the CCC’s earlier report, a government spokesman said: “The UK has reduced emissions faster than any other G7 nation, and moving to a greener, cleaner economy while continuing to grow the economy is at the heart of our modern industrial strategy.”
